Emergency shut-off apparatus for gas or other fluids.



1.1. SULLIVAN. EMERGENCY SHULOFF APPARATUS FOR GAS GR UTHER FLUIDS. APPLCANON FILED JAN 20, l9l3- ..,ll@5,554i Patented Bec. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES.- JNVENTQR,

@UMD/M1" EMERGENCY SHUT-OFF APFM'MTUS FOR GAS GH O'HER FLUIDS.

APPUCATiON HLED MN( 2G. 19H1 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

RM Swavmmm/ Q lil van e Warum naar@ n@ muratura .adriana/1 KLM; al i ma,... m,...

Application filed .anuary 2U, i913.

To all wlw/m '5t may concern:

Be it known that i, JOHN J. SULLIVAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Holyoke, in the county ot iriampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Emeroency Shut-@1 Apparatus for Gas or other Fluids, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention pertains to an apparatus available in emergency such as in case of lire or other calamity in a building for securing a shutting oft' of the connectionv between the ,gas main and the pipe for the distribution ci the gas in or throughout the building.

The invention contemplates the provision of a valve movably mounted and for closing connection between said pipes and provided with a stem and adapted to be closed under spring "force, but having a stop -or the 'prevemionA ci its closing under normal conditions, a cord or like medium ot connection operatively controlling said stop and guided from portion adjacent the lat ter to a irey locked bei; and having at its terminal a handle sc that fireman or authorized person on the opening or the bor: may secure an immediate operation, oi the device for the shutting E oi the gas.

The invention furthermore contemplates provisions whereby in case the key of the aforementioned box is not at hand a person may eiiect entrance to the box for the operation oi the shut-,0E devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby under normal conditions and when the valve is open, there may be no leakage oi gas from either of the supply or distributing pipes at the .place of their valve inclosing coupling to the otucr an'. l

The invention, furthermore, contemplates the provision of means whereby in case of a. lire, any gas remaining in the distributing pipe after the safety shut-ofiI `has been op erated, will issue in jet form and be consumed in the same manner as by a gas burner.` And other objects' of the i are to simplify the apparatus and contribute to its certainty and eiiiciency ooperation.

The invention is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and is set forth in the claims.

ln the drawings :mliigure l is a diagrammatie view showing the manner installa- Specication of LettersPatent.

invention Patented Bec. 2 l serial no, "if-Laces.

tion of the emergency shut-oit apparatus. Fig. 2 isa sectional view showing a portion of the apparatus comprising the box and parts located therein and appartenant there to. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a modiiication of Fig. 2. Fig. i is a horizontal se tional view on line fil, Fig, 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional. view of the portion of the apparatus which comprises and is combined with the uniting coupling for the supply and distributing pipes. Fig. 6 is an elevation or parts of the device in which the stop for the retention of the valve in open position is shown. F ig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view on line 7 7; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view ot the last referred to portion of the device.V

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

ln the drawings, A. represents a main or supply pipe; and B a distributing pipe for gas or other iiuid, such pipes being united by the coupling C, which latter also constitutes a valve body. Y rThe coupling as shown is made with the limbs a and 2') for receiving connection therewith of the pipe aforementioned, and in the screw threaded opening in its upper end engaged the lower portion ci a bonnet D in the downwardly opening chamber (l in which the valve E when opened has its dis posi-tion. llhe bonnet is provided with an upwardly extending tubular hub e having -a shoulder or spring stop e2 at its upper end; and through and beyond this hub e the stem E2 of' the valve is extended.

The spiral spring f in compression as confined between. the spring stop and the upper end ofthe valve erertsa downward and closing force to the valve,-such valve here being shown as vosliggghtlytapered plug forni and when permitted to be forced to its lowermost position closing the valve seat opening o. The valve when moved 'to and restrained in'its` open position as shown in Fig. is in proximity to an annular rib g in the upper wall of thevbonnetA chamber, it being noted that a dislr or washer oi compressible or suitable packing material is provided on the tp of the valve so that there may be no leakage oi gas upwardly through the bonnet Vunder normal. conditions, that is while theconnection is between the gas main the dist 1ibutn The upper end o1" the volvi` threaded and has a .i which collar j provided extending,` projection y' lorined with a cam ture the cani inclined projection y' protrudes,

' oord is inclosed.

the incline haviiie' in'ipiiigenient against the lower boundary or the aperture.

On the widened and apertured portion of the stop (l, a tlat metal latch plate m is pivoted as shown at 'nr-' lVlien the parts are assembled and cngagcd or set, the opposite edges oi the recess yIn. in the latch plate m engaged be hind the shoulders j" of the projections y' 'and hold the stop (fr, as a whole, in its vertical position.

ll represents a` cord connected to the latch plate. llnder the drait in an upward direction ol" the cord, the latch plate wil-l be swung;` upwardly more or ,less as. shown in Fig'. S, disengaging itselt' from behind the shoulders j, leaving the stop G `tree to be crowded outwardly and displaced as an obstruction to .tlieclosing o't the valveunder the ilorce, ot' its spring f,-it being understood that so soon as the projection y'. becomes uulatched,v the downward crowding force on the valve, stem is etlective also ,t'or ay crowding force, by the cam incline, against the edge oi the aperture v/i ot' 'the stop, camming,T the latter in a lateral 'direction and sulliciently to tilt it so lar that the stop is entirely outside ot and beyondthe outer end of the'cain inclinedprojection y'.

rllie construction and arrangement of the parts last described permit o't an adjusta-v bility ot' the cam inclined projection j on the valve stem so that always when the deviceI is set the packing material /L .on the upper end ot the 'valve will 'tightly close, and prevent gas escape through, tho passage upwardly through the bonnet.

The cord`ll suital'ilyguided extends to any place remote from the'4 location ot' the valve and as sulliciently:indicatedin Fig. l,

its terminal entering a box l within which.

the pull handle connected tothe end ot the The box J has :thinned door K for which a look L is Iprovidedi Such lock may be a spring* latch lock ot a most usual kind mounted on the door and having the latch or l'oolt'li2 adaptedv to enA` gage with and discngage i'roin a bolt socketrovided in the wall of the box. '.lhe lock is adapted to be externally keyeperated,

Sie'

operable member such as the knob L3 which when manually turned will cause the unloekinn'ol.: the "door so that it may be swung' open to zejive access to the pull handle, H2.

ln cases ot' emergency the custodiano-it the ke'v may not be at hand and to provide for this circumstance the door is made with an aperture n therein, provided with a closing section n2, as shown in Figs. 2 and Lt. rlliis section is coiilined in its aperture closing place by the bai' n3, the ends ot' which enter between paired lugs n" carrierl by the door proper and are retained by the pins n", the bar is breakable under sutlicient Jforce exerted tliereagainst; and in Fig'. l, it has recesses n extending' part way through its thickness so that two great a 'torce oi' blow will not be necessar)7 t'or its fracture.

The draft cord H. .for effecting' the displacement olf the stop (lr and insuring' the release ot' the valve 't'or its automatic closing action to sluit oli' the gas from the supply to the distributing` pipe is disposed and 2cguided within a tubular inclosure comprising pipe sections M M, the passages in which are ot considerable greater' diameter than that ot kthe cord, and elbow couplings M2 which unite pipe sections which are angulai'ly related one to another.

rlhe elbow couplings have passages 0 therein which are otl ai'o shape, connecting! the passage in the pipes M, such arc shaped passages o being' of diameter but slightly ll'reater than that of the cord, as shown in Fig. 5 to iorni cord guides which in use are as etlicient as would be 1guide sheaves or rollers.

lVhere one o'l the pipe sections M enters the-box, a block I provided at the back ot' the box into which the adjacent end of the pipe'- lias a screw thread connection as shown in Figs. 'l and ma suitable aperture passagetherein'and beine' especially adaptved tor the connection ot a cord inolosing pipe at either side or top and bottom ot the box as occasion may require, it being only necessary to detach the block by the unt'astening 'of the screws 152 and reset the 'iitting with theA connection end p3 of its boss l2 at either side or at top or bottoni.

The bonnet D supports the. casing Q which iin-loses the upper portion of the valve stem and its appurtenances, the stop G and its latch and a portion of the oord connected to the lateli,-screw connection at the 'upper end of this casing of one of the pipe sections M being made as shown in Fig. 5.

TRD

incassa As manifest from the description andv a passage t of restricted character leading outwardly from the interior oi the coupling Vat a place below where the valve would be when closed. This passage is to be closed b'y a fusible metal, and provides in case oi re that any gas issuingthrough such re-y stricted passage will be slowly consumed in the manner of a gas jet, preventing accumulation of gas which might result in explosion.

1. ln an apparatus oi the character described, a coupling having limbs for the connection therewith of a Huid supply pipe and' a huid `distributing pipe,and having a valve therein for closing connection through the-` coupling froin the supply to the distributing pipe, said valve being provided with'an axial stem, a bonnet connected with said coupling and within which said valve may be positioned provided with an axially extended tubular hub of reduced diameter opening to the., valve accommodating bonnet chamber and having a spring stop at'its outer portion, a spring in compression between said stop and the valve and a packing lmaterial on the head of the valve and operative when the latter is opened to close the passage from the bonnet chamber through its tubular hub, a displaceable stop for engaging the stein, of the valve and normally holding the latter open, and ineens for, 'in emergency, efectingthe displacement ci the stop. l

2. ln an apparatus of the character described, a supply pipe and a distributing pipe coupled thereto, a valve movably mounted and for closin connection between said pipes and provi ed with a stein, xtspringv for exerting a closing force to the valve, a member to serve as a stopte nor@l mally hold the valve in its open, position', a cam provided onthervalve/s'tem and coacting with tliestop so that under the force oi' Signed ley-meet S the spring the cam moving with the valve stem will cause a displacement of said stop from its valve restraining position, a latch carried by the stop and temporarily locking the latter in its restraining relation to the cam provided valve stem, and a cord connected to said latch. and means located remote from the valve connected with and for operating said cord. I

3. In an apparatus oi' the character described, a supply pipe and a distributing pipe coupled thereto, a valve movabljv mounted and for closing connection between said pipes and having an aihxeol aXialstem, a bonnet having a chamber therein in which with a cam incline, a stop comprising a foot piece to rest on the top ot the bonnet hub and provided at its upper portion with an aperture through which the cam incline projection ,oi the valve stem normally engages a latch plate pivotedto` an upper portion o the stop and having a downwardly o ening recess for engagement behind shoul ere at opposite sides of said projection to normally hold thecani inclined projection in engagement with the stop, anda cord connected to ,and under. draft thereon for securing a swinging motion of said latch plate.

aNlii/anapparatus ont the character de scribed, a supply. pipe and a distributing ipe, and a coupling having separate limbs 'or connection therewith ozf' said pipes, a!l valve movably mounted and 'for closing con nection. between said pipesf'and providedV uting-pipe cennection-i'neinberl oi saideoo plinfg having a passage oi restricted charac ter leading trom the valve chamber therein to the atmosphere, said passage having a closure theretor lcomposed of. Jfusible material. l e

ringheld, Mass, in presence of two suoceri witnesses.

GH-litfib- Sliililbiliilt Witnesses: .i G. nisooni.,

Wai. S. Biiniiows.

1 fat 

